1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate to telephones and facsimile apparatus, including those that can receive data and print data such as images, as well as send and receive voice information.
2. Background of the Inventions
Facsimile machines have developed from simple data receivers and document printers to sophisticated telecommunications devices having scanners, multiple paper supply trays, extensive telephone number storage, delayed dial and redial and transmission scheduling, as well as significant memory capacity. Early facsimile machines were simple one shot devices that scanned a sheet or page and converted the scanned data to analog signals representing the information scanned from the sheet. The analog signals were sent over the telephone lines simultaneously as the sheet was being scanned. Data received over the telephone lines from an originating fax machine are converted from the original analog form from the telephone lines to signals used to control a printer to record on a sheet of paper the information scanned on the originating fax machine. The printer presents the information essentially at the same time as it is received. The paper for printing was typically thermal paper fed from a roll. These fax machines typically included a stand-alone telephone connected in line with the fax machine, or an integrated number dialing pad, along with start and stop switches and the like for controlling the fax machine.
More conventional fax machines now have programmable and delayed transmission, automatic redial, transmission monitoring, large amounts of storage for scanning and storing documents for immediate or delayed transmission and fax broadcasting. Digital displays are used for ease-of-use, display of send and receive information, error information, storage capacity and the like. Numerous selection keys are included with the standard numeric keypad for storage of automatic dial numbers and other often-used information. Large amounts of storage memory capacity are used to make these capabilities possible, such as document storage, telephone number storage, automatic redial information, and the like. Plain paper trays and plain paper printers are commonly used in conventional fax machines, and multiple paper trays are often used for different paper sizes, paper reserve, and the like. These additional capabilities typically come with increased power consumption, cost, and size for meeting the demands of customers having multiple needs.
With the increased capabilities, it is more difficult for these machines to provide quality results at the same level for all of the functions and capabilities of the multifunction fax machines without significant cost and design effort. While technology advances have improved the quality of scanning and printing of documents, especially documents containing text, fax machines have typically been designed to optimize ease-of-use for business customers, high-volume users and others requiring fast machines, high throughput and reliability. Consequently, efforts have not been devoted to designing fax machines to meet needs and uses uniquely suited for families and home users. Because of their complexity and technological advances, many conventional fax machines are too expensive, too large and over designed for many home uses, except for document and text intensive applications common to business users. Fax machines are needed which are more suitable to the needs of families wanting to transmit such data as family photographs, high-quality images such as color images and the like, and are less expensive than conventional fax machines.